What are you feeding Fluffy?

Here we go again; there have been some recent pet food recalls, and now we don’t know who to trust or what to feed our pets! I do still trust many companies in the pet food industry, you just have to know what to watch out for.

Here is my response to the pet food myths I hear most often.

Dogs and cats are carnivores, so the first ingredient should be meat. Cats are indeed carnivores, while dogs are actually omnivores like us. In nature, wolves will eat grasses and berries when prey is hard to come by, and when a lion does catch its prey it eats the whole thing including stomach contents (an herbivore’s last meal – grasses and berries!). Even a true carnivore will not survive on steak alone. Our pets are now very far removed from their wild ancestors, and no longer have the same eating habits or nutritional requirements. Overly high protein content (more than 28% for dogs and 35% for cats) can contribute to health problems such as kidney disease and decrease the amount of other important nutrients.

Corn and grain are fillers and are only used in cheap foods. As I pointed out above, even a predator will eat some corn and other grains as it’s found in the digestive tract of their prey. Corn, soy and grains have specific amino acids that are used to balance a complete diet. Corn is also used to balance the pH (acidity) of food to prevent bladder stones or crystals, a common and potentially life-threatening problem in cats.

Grains cause food allergies in pets. The most common food allergies in dogs are actually to chicken and beef proteins. Pets with food allergies often need very specific protein types; either completely new like venison or duck or hydrolyzed where the allergen is destroyed. The hypo-allergenic diets sold in pet food stores are often made in the same factories as the regular diets, and can still have traces of meats and grains not included on the label.

Animal by-products are a sign of a low-quality food. Animal by-product is a catch-all term for anything that is not a “muscle”-type meat. This includes bones, organs, and sometimes feathers. These by-products are actually very important in supplementing pet food since they contain vitamins and minerals like calcium, phosphorous and vitamin K. Before you get too grossed out, check the label of a high-end hypo-allergenic baby formula: they use chicken feathers as a protein source too!

When choosing a food, remember that there are 2 reasons it can be more expensive. It either has higher quality ingredients, or you’re paying for good marketing. Is the all-organic grain-free diet actually going to benefit your pet, or is that company charging you more because they made you believe it will?

There’s a lot of information, and mis-information out there when it comes to pet foods. Let’s consider this a “Part 1” for addressing pets food myths. Write your questions and comments below and I’ll address them in future posts!

Dr. K.J. Goldenberg is a veterinarian at the Pierrefonds Animal Hospital.

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